Back to your hutch, Barack!

Obama has has the backbone of a wet rag.

Our country is going down the tubes because of the various groups that have a strangle hold on the Federal Gov't.

The private health insurance industry is draining billions of our health care dollars and providing absolutely nothing of value in return. It's more than time to kick the bums out and install Medicare for everybody.

Obama is just as worthless as many us suspected from his airy-fairy books, big smile and huge ears. He is nothing more than a skinny bunny rabbit. Back to your hutch, Barack!

Giuliani for President, Not

As a long time resident of New York City, I can testify that Rudolph Giuliani is stupid, arrogant, closed-minded and a vicious bully.

As a breathtaking example of his inability to think clearly, on the morning of 9/11/01, Giuliani shut down the bus and subway system of New York City. So, those of us who were stuck in Manhattan had to walk home. At a time when Giuliani should have done everything possible to clear the crowds out of Manhattan, he kept us trapped like flies in a bottle.

I was on East 42nd Street. If I could have taken the 7 line, I would have exited Manhattan in 5 minutes and been home in 45 minutes. As it was, I had to walk to 59th Street, across the Queensboro Bridge and then, finally get on the subway.

Giuliani is unfit for the Presidency. The fact that he is the leading candidate of the GOP proves only that no one expects the Republicans to elect the next President. Consequently, worth-whole Republicans are sitting this one out. Giuliani is simply more attractive than McCain and Romney. So what?

Not-to-be-missed Cartoon

See the May 25 Ted Rall cartoon. (The head with the military hat is Rall's representation of Bush.)

For People Who Like to See Cat Pictures

For cat pictures, click here and here.

The Republican Party Has a Big Problem

Its rich benefactors use a lot of cheap illegal labor. They make big money off the 21st century version of slavery.

On the other hand, many Republican voters are ignorant rednecks who resent foreigners working for very low wages because they fear that their own incomes are threatened.

Both groups are correct in their views.

The Republican party needs the support of both groups.

The Republican party is thoroughly and righteously screwed.

No Wonder the Print Media Are Tanking

On today's NYTimes Op-ed page, Friedman calls attention to the brain-drain the U.S. is suffering and Dowdy is all excited about Gore's excess weight and bad eating habits.

Instead of Killing Israelis, Arabs Should Learn from Them

Arabs have been killing Israelis for 59 years, since the Jewish State was founded by the United Nations. The Arabs would have been much smarter if they tried to learn from Israel instead.

Look what Israel has accomplished:

1. Robust economic growth. GDP increased 5.5% last year.
2. Constant growth of the Tel Aviv stock market.
3. Israel has shown more innovation than India, China and Russia combined.
4. Outside investment from: Microsoft, Intel, Motorola and Warren Buffet.
5. Per capita, Israel has the world's most hi-tech start-ups, scientific publications and R&D spending.
6. High standard of living for its population, comparable to Western Europe.
7. A pluralistic, vibrant democracy.
8. First class institutions of higher learning.

What have Arabs accomplished during the past 59 years?

Bush and Cheney Will Not Be Impeached

There are three practical reasons why Congress will not impeach Bush and Cheney:

1. Nancy Pelosi (who would have to lead the effort) would be promoted to the Presidency if Bush and Cheney were removed from office and there is no indication that she is wants that job.

2. The votes of 17 (or more) Republican Senators would be required to remove Bush and Cheney from office. This is not very likely to happen.

3. Democratic candidates in Congress and of course Clinton, Obama and all the other Democratic Presidential candidates really want to run against Bush and Cheney, a simple task. With Pelosi in the White House, the Democratic Presidential hopefuls lose their chance at the Presidency and the Democratic Congressional candidates lose their targets.

Conclusion: Bush and Cheney are going to finish their terms, as scheduled on January 20, 2009.

Hillary Clinton

It is regrettable that a talented and effective candidate who happens to be a female stimulates so many people to irrational levels of rejection. The qualities that anger these rejectionists, had they been exhibited by a male, would have been accepted readily and perhaps even praised.

Personally, I am rooting for Hillary for the simple reason that, of all the announced candidates, she is the one most likely to be a great President.

I am also very pleased that Intrade, the betting website shows her to be the front-runner for the Democratic nomination and the Presidency in the general election. In fact for the Democratic nomination Hillary is the odds-on favorite, far ahead of Obama, in second place. All the other guys are "also-rans."

Why Bush Is Keeping Us in Iraq

Bush/Cheney started the Iraq war and are keeping us there to provide a huge bonanza for Exxon-Mobil and the other big oil companies. See detailed discussion. Iraqi oil workers are getting ready to strike in opposition to this grand theft.

Religion vs. Social Contract

A debate about religion between Hitchens and Sharpton is reported in the NYTimes.

It is surprising that Hitchens did not mention the ancient and well-respected concept of the Social Contract. It is quite possible for people to behave well, not because they fear God's wrath, but because they prefer to behave well. They see good behavior as being necessary to a peaceful and happy existence.

There is absolutely no evidence that religious people behave any better than atheists. Consequently no case can be made that God and the fear of God's punishment or hope for God's rewards is at all useful. On the contrary, there is much evidence that deeply religious people launch wars and murder gleefully people who do not subscribe to their particular beliefs. The Crusades, the Inquisition, the jihads, the Irish troubles prove beyond any doubt that religion is a curse on the human race. Perhaps some day we will all put religion aside and study philosophy to find guidance for good behavior.

Failures of the Press and the Bloggers, too

The Press, or the Main Stream Media have failed us by not examining critically Bush's moves to start and continue the Iraq war. Many writers merely repeated Bush's lies as the gospel.

The Press and the bloggers failed then and continue to fail. They have not publicized Bush’s real reason for the war against Iraq. The mere fact that Bush kept lying and changing our objective in the war should have signaled to all "experts" that Bush had a hidden objective. Bush could not reveal his true objective because it was shameful and probably illegal. In such an instance, a logical way of discovering the reason is to follow the money. Who is benefiting and who is likely to benefit?

The new Oil law which is currently stalemated in the Iraq's so-called "government," if enacted would create a huge bonanza for Exxon-Mobil and the other big oil companies. That is the reason for the war. Yet, the Press and the bloggers continue to give Bush a pass on this issue. Maybe they are too lazy and/or stupid to read and understand the Iraq Oil law.

Illusion and Reality about U.S. Stock Market

Floyd Norris debunks the apparent recovery of the S&P Index in Saturday's NYTimes. Click on the graphic. It shows that in US Dollars, the S&P Index has recovered over the last 8 years. It's also doing OK vs. the Japanese Yen. But against the Euro, the British Pound, Gold, Oil, Corn and Houses, the S&P is doing miserably. The US Dollar has lost so much value that investments in US stocks have performed very poorly. Many investors have known this and shifted their investments to foreign stocks.

Sudden Death

In today's blog, Dick Cavett describes how a guest on his show died suddenly.

I have witnessed a similar event. I was attending a faculty meeting at Baruch College in the early 1970's, when one of the Associate Deans, sitting in the front of the room, suddenly leaned to the side, on his neighbor and snored loudly. His eyes were closed, so he appeared to have fallen asleep. Helpers laid him down on the floor and tried to revive him. The Dean dismissed the meeting. We did not know at the time that the Associate Dean was dead. We found out the next day.